Our Story

"We plant the seed of brighter tomorrows today." ~unknown

It all starts with a sprout, then the journey of our life unfolds and grows in ways we never imagined. Growing up I (Krista) lived on a small homestead where my parents worked hard to raise enough food for our family of 6, my parents both came from agriculture backgrounds. I remember many stories my mom told of her and her sister riding bareback on their horses through the field and the family's pet pig Petunia. My father told stories of when he was a young man his family lived and worked on a large farm where they raised hogs, poultry, and sheep. As a teenager, the oldest of 5, he & his brother was responsible for the care of the animals while my Grandpa worked the fields and Grandma cared for the other kids. As a child, I never really respected or understood how hard they all worked for the modest things they had, until my own adulthood. After proclaiming I'd never return to the country as a headstrong teenager, I headed off for the brighter lights of the city. After many years of fast-paced city life and three kids, I found myself struggling with my health. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and was desperate to feel better. We began taking note of our lifestyle and the foods we were eating while learning about modern agriculture. The things we learned opened our eyes to a very broken food system. That was the beginning of our long quest to find healthier food choices for our eventual family of 7 without breaking our budget. This quest made us realize what few convenient, affordable options for local fresh food truly existed. We felt very called to the decision that we needed to start a small family farm of our own for people like us that care deeply about their food.

After much reading and research, we started out with three little backyard city chickens, raised garden beds and a few fruit trees. After two years of Urban farming, we finally found our small farm. August of 2015 we moved from Columbus to Alexandria with our 5 sprouts in tow one of them being a 4-month-old baby. Life with 5 kids is never dull but adding 8.5 acres and lots of creatures, made that ring even truer! With the baby in a backpack carrier and a 2-year-old in tow, we trudged outside at every opportunity. We cut trees, we tilled garden beds, we built and worked and sweated! 2.5 years later we are still knee deep in projects and learning something new every day! We've come a long way from our 3 little backyard chickens in 2010, to over 350 chickens, 30 turkeys, and 7 hogs, summer 2017. Our family is adapting and thriving and I finally feel that I've found my calling. Life here is never dull and filled with exciting discoveries and challenges all the time. I wouldn't trade one crazy moment, even the hard ones. We hope you will join us in our adventures.